CHAPTER TWO: AUSTIN

"I can't believe this, Silas. This must be some twisted joke to get back at me, isn't it?" I heard my mother say, her voice filled with a mix of disbelief and anger but my focus was on my father who just revealed that he was going to die.

Silas appeared unaffected by her emotional outburst, his gaze locked onto me. He took a deliberate step in my direction, pausing a couple of feet away. The soft glow of the light cast his silhouette, revealing his presence.

As he stood there, the undeniable truth was clear: he was my father. The resemblance between us was striking—our eyes held the same hue, the lines of our noses mirrored one another, our hair colors complemented, and our physical builds were eerily similar.

He broke the silence, his voice steady yet full of emotion as he began to speak, "I've been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. The chemotherapy hasn't yielded any results, and the doctors have given me just a few years to live."

"Are you here to ask for forgiveness?" I questioned.

He shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face. "Your mother never told me about you, so I don't have to ask for forgiveness. The one at fault here is your mother, not me."

Just as he was speaking, Silas was suddenly overcome by a fit of coughing. Concerned, I hurried to the sink and fetched a glass of water for him. He accepted it with gratitude, taking a long sip to alleviate his coughing.

After a moment, he regained his composure. Even though I wanted to get back to the hospital, I patiently waited for him to settle down and explain his purpose for being here. Eventually, he looked at me and spoke, "So why are you here, Mr. Anderson, if not to ask for forgiveness?"

His words caught me off guard as he continued, "I need you to come back with me and take over my security business in California after I die."

"Why?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow and giving him a skeptical look, unconcerned about sounding impolite. "I'm sure you have kids of your own."

For a brief moment, a flicker of pain and disappointment crossed his eyes, though it wasn't directed at me. He seemed lost in thought, momentarily taken aback. He snapped out of it when I cleared my throat. "I apologize. Yes, I do have a family of my own."

"I see. So why are you here, asking me to take over? You have your own kids. It's quite confusing, sir."

He sighed, his gaze distant. "That was a long time ago. My family was killed in a car accident, orchestrated by someone who held a grudge against me from my past. You see, Austin, my line of work is very dangerous. I protect and collaborate with extremely dangerous individuals. It was inevitable that I would make enemies, and unfortunately, they caught up to me. I lost my family as a result."

"You got married?" My mother inquired, her lack of sensitivity apparent. A glance at his expression revealed that discussing his family was a sensitive subject. But who could blame him? Speaking about a deceased loved one was painful for anyone.

"Yes, I did choose to get married. You vanished without an explanation. What was I supposed to do? Wait forever?" Silas retorted, his laughter carrying a bitter edge. "Don't play the judgment card with me, when you also got married to a fellow named Malcolm. A man who, as I've learned, hurt my son. If he weren't already gone, I'd have taken matters into my own hands."

"I waited for you to come looking for me, Silas, but you never did," my mother yelled. Her gaze shifted from me to my father, whose angry expression was locked onto her. To be honest, I didn't care much about who did what; I was just utterly exhausted.

"So, if she ran and didn't tell you about me, how did you eventually find out about me?" I couldn't help but let my curiosity take over.

"I only learned about you ten years later," my father replied. His tone was strained as he recounted the past. "My mother finally told me on her deathbed that your mother had come to her and claimed she was pregnant with my child. But my mother turned her away, convinced that she was lying to manipulate me into marriage."

"I understand. So why didn't you tell him initially? Why did you approach his mother?" I inquired.

"At the time, he wasn't in the country. After his mother rejected me, running away seemed like the only choice left," she explained.

"Hmm," I mused, turning towards Silas. "And what did you do once you found out?"

"I searched for you and your mother extensively. It was only when you were imprisoned for confronting a pedophile that any lead emerged. It was around the same time, my family got into an accident. So I dedicated all my resources to finding you. My investigation eventually brought me to this town, where I located your mother. However, you remained elusive until your return today."

"Is this the reason you've been calling me, so I could meet him?" I asked, turning to my mother who had her face lowered.

"Yes, and I hoped he could help you see the reason and come back home."

"After what I found out today, do you really think I'd want to come back home? You've been lying to me my entire life, Mom. You told me we had no other family."

"I'm so sorry, Austin. I did it to protect us," my mother said, her sobs filling the kitchen.

"Sorry isn't enough, Mom. And let's not pretend. You did it to protect yourself from being rejected."

"I understand, Austin. I know I messed up, and I'm truly sorry for keeping the truth from you," my mother said as I shifted my gaze from her to the floor.

"I can't stand to look at you right now, Mom. I need time to think."

"I understand, Austin. Please know I'm here, and I'm sorry for what I've done," my mother said softly. I lifted my gaze to meet Silas's intense stare.

"I'm unsure if I can go with you, Mr. Anderson. My family is going through difficult things right now, and they've no one to rely on. I need time to think. I also have unresolved matters here that I can't leave until they're sorted," I explained.

"I completely understand. Take your time. On a different note, I'd be interested in meeting your friends. They seem like wonderful people," Mr. Anderson replied.

"They truly are. Once they're awake, I can introduce you," I offered.

"Thank you, Austin. That means a lot to me," Mr. Anderson said as he expressed his gratitude with a smile.

"Of course. I'm heading back to the hospital. Can I reach you somehow?" I inquired.

"Sure, here's my phone number. I'll be returning to California today. Just give me a call once they're awake, and I'll come back. We can all have dinner together," I suggested.

"Even though it was under these circumstances, it was a pleasure meeting you, Mr Anderson" I said.

"Indeed, Austin, I do wish our introduction had been under different circumstances," Silas conveyed as we exchanged a handshake.

I hope he didn't expect me to jump into his arms because he was my father, that was not going to happen. I had managed without one for this long, so I saw no reason to suddenly become attached. To me, he was nothing more than an acquaintance.

"Goodbye, and please, Mother, don't bother calling me. I'll reach out once I've had time to think." With those words, I left home and made my way to the hospital. I wondered whether Silas, who had entered my life, would bring positivity or further complicate the chaos that already existed.

After contemplating it for a few days following Silas's revelation that he was my father, I reached out to him to propose a deal. My intention was to assist Sophie and Shane, knowing that their medical bills were accumulating rapidly. My goal was to prevent them from becoming overwhelmed by the financial burden while they were still in a coma.

Silas answered the phone, saying, "I was surprised when I received your call a few days ago."

I replied, "I was quite surprised too, but this seems to be the only way I can help them."

He inquired, "Your friends?"

"Yes," I affirmed.

Curious, he asked, "What do you need from me?"

"I would like to make a deal with you, Mr. Anderson."

He encouraged me, "Go on, I'm listening."

"I would like you to pay my friends' medical bills and physical therapy expenses, as well as the resources required to track down those responsible for harming them," I conveyed, my gaze fixed on his expression, awaiting a reaction to my proposition, but his face remained emotionless so I pressed on, "If you choose to agree, After my graduation, I will follow you to California and run your security company like you asked. Rest assured, I will do everything you tell me too."

Silas pondered, "That's quite a deal, but it seems rather one-sided. Your friends benefit, but what about you?"

"Their happiness is more valuable to me than any material gain, Mr. Anderson. I'm prepared to dedicate myself to them."

Silas remarked, "To have such unwavering loyalty to people you've only recently met is quite remarkable, Austin."

I responded, "If you were to meet them, you'd understand why I'm so devoted."

He posed a question, "If the roles were reversed, would they go to such lengths for you, Austin?"

"Without a doubt, Mr. Anderson. So, what's your decision? Will you accept my proposal?"

After a moment's pause, he replied, "Yes, Austin, we have a deal. I will cover your friends' medical expenses on the condition that you come with me to California after your graduation."

The agreement was set and all I've to do is wait for them to wake up hopefully.